Clean Your Reloadable Brass With Rice

It is a proven fact the clean reloading brass will work a
hundred times better than
dirty, as well as lead to far less equipment
malfunctions commonly attributed to dirt and residue left on the brass.
Foreign material in or on
our cases can cause all kinds of problems. Damage to expensive reloading dies,
damage to rifles, and various other issues can arise if proper care is not
taken. One of the proven, and most commonly used, methods of doing so
is
tumbling the reloading brass clean using tumbling media, such as walnuts and
corncob-based media. However, there’s one product that most of us have likely
never considered using; Rice

Problems with
traditional Media

One of the biggest concerns when using traditional media to
clean reloading brass is the particles that tend to go airborne when separating
the brass from the media.
This residue is laced with all kinds of undesirable substances that have
a negative effect on human health. The actual tumbling doesn't cause much
of an issue, as most tumblers have sealed lids, but when it comes time to
separate the media from the brass, this black soot becomes intermingled with
the media and tends to go airborne as any other dust would.

Using
Stainless Steel media poses issues, as well. On the front, the reloading brass
comes out so clean you could drink out of it. The concern, however, is the
dinged-up case necks. While this problem is remedied by loading more media and
less cases, perfectly shaped and trimmed cases still come out dinged. Plus,
there’s the issue of drying time.

Other cleaning method concerns

One of the latest technologies in cleaning reloading brass
is called “
clenicultrasoning.” This essentially uses the power of ultrasonic
transducers to literally explode the dirt off the surface of the brass. While
it does get the brass exceptionally clean, there are a few concerns; one is
that is becomes too clean.
What’s been noticed is that brass cleaned with this method
is so clean that it
effecynegativelts the accuracy of precision rounds. Also,
the chemicals added to the water are extremely harsh to the brass, and to
humans, requiring an extra step of “deactivating” the cleaning agent to prevent
the reloading brass from becoming etched. Another
down side to this method is
its low quantity threshold.

Using Rice as an
alternative

Rice would seem like the furthest thing away from acceptable
media when is comes to cleaning reloading brass. The truth is, rice is perfect.
Rice is relatively
hard and has some nice edges on it, allowing it to break through dust and
debris. It also has absorptive qualities, which could help with
removing sizing lubricant. Rice is ridiculously cheap, as well. Making it
extremely cost effective.

As far as residue is
concerned, rice produces little to none. Furthermore, there’s no risk of
toxicity, making it perfectly healthy to use.
Rice is nice and clean, without much in the way of
"powder" in it.
Plus, the amount you can use rivals that of
the standard media, meaning you can work through large batches in no time.

One of the downsides, though minor, is the rice getting
caught in the larger flash holes. Since rice is brittle, it is easily removed
using an old
decapping rod. This is a little inconvenience when you compare the
money saved and how clean the reloading
brass becomes. Giving the advancements of technology, this “old-timer”
method is still better and more efficient at cleaning reloading brass than any
of the alternatives. It’s amazing what you learn by trying new things.